Plotting Broadway's Empty Storefronts

Broadway is perhaps America’s most iconic street, but according to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, a glut of empty storefronts threatens to sap the famous corridor of its vitality.

Brewer announced last week the results of a survey that found nearly 200 retail vacancies along Broadway. The survey was conducted May 21 by several dozen volunteers and interns from Brewer’s office. “Almost every neighborhood seems to have a storefront that’s been vacant for years,” Brewer said in a statement announcing the results of the survey. “It can be a mystery, but I’m interested in solving the mystery and rejuvenating our streetscapes. This data will be the starting point in finding policy solutions to this problem.”

The survey identified 188 empty street-level storefronts along Broadway’s 244 blocks in Manhattan, 118 of which were located below 125th Street. The accompanying graphic shows which stretches of Broadway had the most — and least — commercial vacancies.